Unreinforced masonry is one of the most used construction materials in the world. It is also unfortunately, the most vulnerable during earthquakes. In seismic prone regions of the world, large number of casualties resulted due to the collapse of this type of structures.
   Several retrofitting methods for masonry structure have been proposed to improve strength, ductility and energy dissipation capability. However, in developing countries, strengthening masonry structures should be economic, the retrofitting material accessible and the local available workmanship used. Considering these points, a new retrofitting technique has been proposed based on the use of polypropylene bands (PP-bands) , which are commonly utilized for packing. In order to evaluate the effect of retrofitting masonry walls by PP-bands, a series of diagonal compression tests were carried out on masonry wallettes made of shapeless stones, with and without retrofitting as a means to assess its seismic strength. The initial results of these are reported in this paper. [This abstract is not included in the PDF]